The invention relates to a refrigerant compressor, having an electric motor, the stator of which has windings with winding heads and the rotor of which drives a compressor which comprises a compressor block having an axially projecting bearing part for a rotor shaft, one winding head extending in the direction of the compressor block and electrical insulation being provided between the winding head and the compressor block.
Such refrigerant compressors are widely used in domestic refrigerators, that is, in refrigerators or freezers. In these cases, one would like to have as much space as possible for the cooling chamber, which requires the refrigerant compressor to be made as small as possible.
Refrigerant compressors have therefore already become known, (U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 3,306,524) the diameter of which is determined essentially only by the diameter of the motor and the height of which is determined by the sum of the heights of motor and compressor. The electrical insulation in that case is provided by a shell, which is secured to the winding head of the stator winding that is next to the compressor block. Securing this shell to the winding head is difficult, however. During assembly, there is a danger that the shell will be pushed out of its desired position. Moreover, the shell covers only a small part of the winding head, so that electrical safety can be guaranteed only if there is an adequate distance between the uncovered parts of the winding head and the compressor block.
The reduction in the overall size of such refrigerant compressors leads to a reduction in efficiency. A prime cause of this reduction in efficiency is attributable to electric losses in the motor.
The problem on which the invention is based is to be able to improve the efficiency of the refrigerant compressor with the same overall size, without substantially increasing the work involved in assembly.